Best Exhibitions Starting in March 2025
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- 【Tokyo】Joan Miró (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Jean Arp (Artizon Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Hilma af Klint: The Beyond (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】Osamu Tezuka's Hinotori Exhibition (Roppongi Hills Tokyo City View)
- 【Tokyo】The Art of the Ramen Bowl (21_21 Design Sight)
- 【Tokyo】Back to Modern − Graphic Design from West-Germany (Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Tomokazu Matsuyama First Last (Azabudai Hills Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】Edo in Black: Edo Paintings from Black Perspective (Itabashi Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Emulation and Admiration: Two Stories of Collecting European Art European Master Paintings from San Diego Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】Living Modernity: Experiments in the Exceptional and Everyday 1920s–1970s (The National Art Center, Tokyo)
- 【Aichi】Kuroda Tatsuaki: A Journey Through Wood, Lacquer, and Mother-of-Pearl (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art)
- 【Aichi】Paul Klee, Solitary and Solidary (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)
- 【Kyoto】Monet: The Late Waterscape (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
- 【Kyoto】Anselm Kiefer: Solaris (Nijo-jo Castle)
- 【Kyoto】Young Poland―Polish Art 1890-1918 (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
- 【Osaka】Capcom Creation— Moving Hearts Across the Globe (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
- 【Osaka】Shoen Uemura Exhibition (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
【Tokyo】Joan Miró (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)
Born in 1893 in Catalonia, Spain, Joan Miró (1893–1983) is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, alongside his contemporary, Picasso. His poetic and distinctive style, which transforms natural elements such as the sun, stars, and moon into symbolic forms, remains highly popular in Japan. This extraordinary retrospective brings together masterpieces from around the world, offering a rare opportunity to experience the essence of Miró's art.
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Schedule: March 1 – July 6
【Tokyo】Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Jean Arp (Artizon Museum)
Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889–1943) began her career as a textile designer and explored geometric forms across various mediums, including painting and interior design. Her husband, Jean Arp (1886–1966), a poet, created collages, reliefs, and sculptures inspired by chance-driven forms. This exhibition reexamines their collaborative works and the creative possibilities of joint artistry. Be sure also to visit the concurrent Inosuke Hazama Exhibition, opening the same day.
Venue: Artizon Museum
Schedule: March 1 – June 1
【Tokyo】Hilma af Klint: The Beyond (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) is increasingly recognized as a pioneer of abstract painting, predating contemporaries such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. Her 2018 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York drew a record-breaking 600,000 visitors. This exhibition features approximately 140 works, including ten monumental paintings over three meters high, all making their debut in Japan. Organized into five thematic chapters, the exhibition comprehensively examines her artistic journey.
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Schedule: March 4 – June 15
【Tokyo】Osamu Tezuka's Hinotori Exhibition (Roppongi Hills Tokyo City View)
Osamu Tezuka (1928–1989), the creator of numerous masterpieces, regarded his manga Hinotori as his life's work. This epic saga follows individuals in their relentless pursuit of the legendary Hinotori, a bird whose blood grants eternal life. The story explores profound philosophical themes of life, death, and reincarnation through alternating depictions of the past and future. Co-curated by biologist Shinichi Fukuoka, this exhibition delves into Tezuka’s monumental narrative, which unfolded over 30 years.
Venue: Roppongi Hills Tokyo City View
Schedule: March 7 – May 25
【Tokyo】The Art of the Ramen Bowl (21_21 Design Sight)
Beginning with a focus on Mino pottery—renowned for producing 90% of Japan’s ramen bowls—this exhibition explores the history and craftsmanship behind these iconic pieces. It features innovative ramen bowl designs by contemporary artists, collector's ramen bowls, and ramen cart designs by architects and designers. Through these works, the exhibition celebrates the rich heritage and artistry of Mino pottery.
Venue: 21_21 Design Sight
Schedule: March 7 – June 15
【Tokyo】Back to Modern − Graphic Design from West-Germany (Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum)
This exhibition presents a selection of posters, booklets, magazines, and more from the A5 Collection Düsseldorf, formed by the Dusseldorf-based graphic designers Jens Müller and Katharina Sussek. The exhibition highlights West German graphic design's evolution by showcasing works that span geometric abstraction, illustration, photography, and typography. Influenced by the teachings of Bauhaus and the Ulm School of Design, these works reflect the pursuit of new forms of expression in the post-WWII world.
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Schedule: March 8 – May 18
【Tokyo】Tomokazu Matsuyama First Last (Azabudai Hills Gallery)
This large-scale solo exhibition of Tomokazu Matsuyama, a globally recognized artist based in New York, marks his first major showcase in Tokyo. Featuring 40 works, including 15 large-scale pieces previously unseen in Japan, the exhibition also introduces his new First Last series. Through bold colors and expansive canvases, Matsuyama will offer a striking reflection of contemporary global society.
Venue: Azabudai Hills Gallery
Schedule: March 8 – May 11
【Tokyo】Edo in Black: Edo Paintings from Black Perspective (Itabashi Art Museum)
This exhibition focuses on the color black, which played a significant role in Edo-period Japanese painting, exploring its diverse uses. It features works with black backgrounds and Ukiyo-e prints inspired by this color. The exhibition seeks to uncover the symbolic and cultural significance of black within the context of Edo-era aesthetics.
Venue: Itabashi Art Museum
Schedule: March 8 – April 13
【Tokyo】Emulation and Admiration: Two Stories of Collecting European Art European Master Paintings from San Diego Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art (National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo)
The San Diego Museum boasts a rich collection of Western paintings. On the other hand, the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, holds the only comprehensive collection of Western paintings in East Asia. This exhibition will combine 90 works from both institutions, presenting Western art history from the Renaissance to 19th-century Impressionism.
Venue: National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo
Schedule: March 11 – June 8
【Tokyo】Living Modernity: Experiments in the Exceptional and Everyday 1920s–1970s (The National Art Center, Tokyo)
This exhibition reevaluates 20th-century innovative experiments in housing through seven key aspects: sanitation, materials, windows, kitchens, furniture, media, and landscapes. Many of the featured homes were designed by their architects as personal residences. The exhibition includes works from Japan, the United States, Europe, and Brazil, showcasing an array of original drawings, models, photographs, and furniture created alongside the houses.
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Schedule: March 19 – June 30
【Aichi】Kuroda Tatsuaki: A Journey Through Wood, Lacquer, and Mother-of-Pearl (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art)
This commemorative exhibition celebrates the 120th anniversary of Tatsuaki Kuroda (1904–1982), a master craftsman of wood-lacquer art. It will showcase his masterpieces, spanning his career from early works to those from his later years, including furniture and other items featuring intricate mother-of-pearl inlay.
Venue: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Schedule: March 15 – May 18
【Aichi】Paul Klee, Solitary and Solidary (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)
Paul Klee (1879–1940) was a pioneer of modern art, celebrated for expressing light and the energy of life through line and color. In collaboration with the Paul Klee Center in Switzerland, his exhibition traces Klee's creative journey, features works from Klee's peers, and presents a rich selection of materials, offering a deeper understanding of his artistic legacy.
Venue: Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: March 29 – May 25
【Kyoto】Monet: The Late Waterscape (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
Claude Monet (1840–1926), one of the leading figures of Impressionism, captured the fleeting moments of light in nature. This exhibition features around 50 works, including several making their debut in Japan, from the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris. It offers a rare opportunity to experience Monet's masterpieces, with a special focus on his iconic water lilies, all in one place.
Venue: Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
Schedule: March 7 – June 8
【Kyoto】Anselm Kiefer: Solaris (Nijo-jo Castle)
Hosted by the City of Kyoto and the Fergus McCaffrey Gallery, this exhibition presents new works by Anselm Kiefer at the historic Nijo-jo Castle. Kiefer’s statement draws inspiration from Junichiro Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows, reflecting his deep admiration for traditional Japanese architecture. The exhibition explores themes of creation, destruction, and rebirth.
Venue: Nijo-jo Castle
Schedule: March 31 – June 22
【Kyoto】Young Poland―Polish Art 1890-1918 (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
This exhibition presents works from "Young Poland," a group of artists who, inspired by Impressionism and other European trends, sought to forge a national artistic identity that blended traditional heritage with modern influences. Featuring around 130 works, including paintings, prints, and decorative arts, the exhibition explores Polish art at the turn of the 20th century.
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Schedule: March 25 – June 29
【Osaka】Capcom Creation— Moving Hearts Across the Globe (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
Capcom, a video game company based in Osaka, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023. This exhibition highlights the passion behind game development, showcasing concept art, original game designs, and graphic works. It offers an in-depth look at the creative process behind the company's global hits like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Monster Hunter.
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: March 20 – June 22
【Osaka】Shoen Uemura Exhibition (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
This exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Shoen Uemura, a renowned Japanese painter. It revisits her life's work through masterpieces, highlighting her contributions as a pioneering female artist and the lasting impact of her work on future generations.
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: March 29 – June 1
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